Chin Chun Hock
Comments(59)Somebody forwarded me an article on Wikipedia. Actually as of today, the article contains 4 sentences:
Chin Chun Hock was the first Chinese man to settle in Seattle. He arrived in 1860 and was employed as a domestic worker. By 1868, Chin Hock had founded a general merchandising store, The Wa Chong Co., at the foot of Mill Street. He owned the Eastern Hotel which housed the first Asian workers in Seattle.
Well, that’s not very satisfying. There is more to be known, but how to find it? True, there is likely stuff at the Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle and in the archives of the University of Washington, but it would be too much trouble to get at those for a lunchtime-project. Let’s just dig around.
The English sources on the internet are fairly useless, but they do point out that Chin Chun Hock got a fellow Toisan’er (Chin Gee Hee) as junior partner to run their Wa Chong Co. trading and contract labor operation in downtown Seattle. Actually they are related. I think Chin Chun Hock is Chin Gee Hee’s paternal first cousin once removed (族叔). It turns out that Chin Gee Hee later raised lots of money, went back to China, and built a railroad to his hometown – the first one built entirely with Chinese capital and engineering. Seems like this could be the thread to a lot more information about both of them, and so it was.
First of all, we learn of Chin Gee Hee’s Chinese name (陈宜禧), clearly written on this book. A search on Google in Chinese easily turns up 175 articles about the guy and of course, his partner Chin Chun Hock, the Wa Chong Co., and whatever else we might want to know. Well darn, that wasn’t terribly hard at all.
So, Chin Chun Hock’s Chinese name is 陈程学. The Wa Chong trading company in Seattle is 华昌, literally, Chinese Properity Co. The more interesting tidbits are from Chinese sources, and I will quote just one below…
１９０５年２月，陈宜禧自费去香港、旧金山、西雅图和温哥华等地，向华侨募集股金。他喊出了一个饱含着爱国激情、令侨胞们热血沸腾的招股口号：“以中国人之资本，筑中国人之铁路；以中国人之学力，建中国人之工程；以中国人之力量，创中国史之奇功！”无数华侨为这口号所感奋，他很快就募集了股金２７５８４１２元，超出原计划４倍。１９０５年２月１７日旧金山中文报纸《中西日报》发表社论《兴办新宁铁路之希望》指出：“合廿二行省之铁路计之，利权皆操之外人，唯新宁铁路之利权，则完全无缺。”当然，在广大侨胞大力支持的同时，陈宜禧也听到了反对的声音。他的族叔陈程学（１８４４－１９２７）就说他不自量力，“如果你能修成铁路，我决不坐你的车。”后来铁路告成，陈程学也回国担任粤汉铁路顾问和香港东华医院总理。每次回乡，他只好从香港乘船到江门，再雇船开回台山去。
Translation:
In February of 1905, Chin Gee Hee paid his own way to Hong Kong, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver among other places to raise funds from overseas Chinese. He used a patriotic fund-raising slogan that excited the overseas compatriots: “Using Chinese capital to build a Chinese railroad; using Chinese ingenuity to engineer a Chinese project; using the power of the Chinese people to create a miracle in Chinese history!” Countless overseas Chinese were moved by the slogan and quickly donated $2,758,412 (US Dollars?), four times that of the original plan. On February 17, 1905, the San Francisco Chinese newspaper Chinese-Western Daily printed an editorial titled “The hope of creating the Sun Ning Railroad” which read, “Looking over the railroads of all 22 administrative provinces, the rights to all of them are controlled by foreigners, except those of the Sun Ning Railroad, which are complete.” Of course, at the same time that the support poured in, Chin Gee Hee also heard an opposing voice. His first-cousin-once-removed Chin Chun Hock (1844-1927), for example, said he was in over his head, and made a bet, “If you actually finish the railroad, I promise not to ride your train.” Afterwards, the railroad was completed and Chin Chun Hock himself also returned to China to consult for the Canton-Wuchang Railroad and serve as the Director of the Tung Wah Hospital in Hong Kong. But every time he went back to his hometown, he had to take a boat from Hong Kong to Jiangmen, then take another boat from there to Toisan.
Here’s another one of the same incident:
新宁铁路的建成，全县人民皆大欢喜，唯独陈宜禧的叔父、美国铁路工程师陈程学深感内疚。因为早在陈宜禧行动回乡筑路之前，曾诚邀陈程学协助。陈程学蔑视陈宜禧的能力，不仅不允，反嘲笑说：“有尾狗亦跳，冇尾狗亦跳。你如果筑得成铁路，我永远不坐你的火车!”如今铁路筑成了，陈程学无颜以对，每次返乡都只好乘船或坐轿。
Translation:
With the completion of the Sun Ning Railroad, the people of the entire county were overjoyed, except for Chin Gee Hee’s ‘uncle’, the American railroad engineer Chin Chun Hock, who felt regretful. Because even before Chin Gee Hee went home to build his railroad, he had invited Chin Chun Hock to help. Chin Chun Hock looked unfavorably on Chin Gee Hee’s capability, however – not only did he disapprove, but he even ridiculed with, “A dog with a tail jumps, and a dog without a tail also jumps. If you build this railroad, I promise never to ride your train!” Now that the railroad had been completed, Chin Chun Hock felt he had lost face, so he resigned himself to taking a boat or carriage when he went home.
Here is something on the Wa Chong Co. There is a bit of disagreement on the business partner relationship
西雅图唐人街的开拓者陈程学1868年开设的华昌公司就是最老而且人人熟知的批发零售兼而有之的商号。它既经营茶叶、爆竹、葵扇等杂货，又制造雪茄，兼营缝纫服务，还办理中美间的进出口业务。陈程学曾经一次就运送4000袋美国面粉到香港，通过香港将中国茶叶输往美国更是经常性的业务。陈程学的华昌公司后来的合作伙伴陈观也是新宁人。1860年陈程学的堂侄陈宜禧来到西雅图，他先在陈程学的华昌公司打工。1888年他离开华昌公司与人合伙在华盛顿街开设了广德公司，开展劳务中介和承揽西雅图市镇建设业务，自任总经理，成为一名商家。
Translation:
The Wa Chong Co. started in 1868 by the pioneer of Seattle’s Chinatown, Chin Chun Hock, is the oldest and very well known wholesale and retail business (in Chinese American history). It traded tea, firecrackers, Chinese fans, etc., and also sold cigars, provided tailoring services, and engaged in import/export trade between the US and China. Chin Chun Hock once sent 4000 bags of American flour to Hong Kong in a single shipment. Importing Chinese tea through Hong Kong to the US was an even more frequent business. Chin Chun Hock’s partner Chen Guan Ye is also a Toisan’er. In 1860, Chin Chun Hock’s ‘nephew’ Chin Gee Hee also came to Seattle, and he learned his trade at Wa Chong. In 1888, he left Wa Chong and started Quong Tuck Co. (lit. Broad Virtue Co.) with some people at Washington Street, and began engaging in labor contracting and construction (note: the labor and construction went to the Northern Pacific Railway and Seattle’s trolley system). He took the title of manager and became a proprietor himself.
It is said that Chin Gee Hee left Wa Chong because Chin Chun Hock wanted to focus on the merchandise trade and not on labor contracting (of Toisan’ers shipped to the US).
For something different, this article says that in 1900, Chin Chun Hock started some sort of ‘Shun’ ancestral worship society to promote ancestral virtues, piety, and Confucian social mores. (‘Shun’ is a mythical emperor and one of two progenitors of the Chinese race, apparently.)
Interesting. Perhaps some day, somebody will take interest and inject this into Wikipedia.
Although Chin Chun Hock holds the title of “first” in Seattle (and was one of the first non-indigenous people to settle in the area, making the Seattle Chinatown as old as the city itself), it is Chin Gee Hee who gets most of the PR and historic notes, including some that claim he had good rapport with the Chinook Indians (e.g., speaking their language) and with a number of influential white businessmen and technologists of the day. Chin Gee Hee is also the one with his photos all over the internet, but so far I haven’t been able to find one of Chin Chun Hock. Just from these sources, it seems that between Chin Chun Hock and Chin Gee Hee, the former was the more traditional and conservative of the two in business and life…
| The Chinese term 族叔, if I have this right, corresponds to first cousin once removed, but carries more information. In particular, Chin Chun Hock’s paternal grandfather is Chin Gee Hee’s paternal great grandfather, and, Chin Chun Hock is younger than Chin Gee Hee’s father. |
By the way, the postulated relationship between Chin Chun Hock and Chin Gee Hee is probably correct, because according to this genealogical survey on the Toisan Chin/Chan/Chen’s, the generation names for the clan that Chin Gee Hee belongs to (六村 – Six Villages) are as follows:
祖德赐光裕，明廷擢茂良；学宜宗孔孟，华国以文章
In Mandarin, this is:
Zu De Ci Guang Yu, Ming Ting Zhuo Mao Liang, Xue Yi Zong Kong Meng, Hua Guo Yi Wen Zhang.
Xue is the Hock in Chin Chun Hock.
Yi is the Gee in Chin Gee Hee.
So there you have it, Chin Chun Hock in a nutshell.
— Ryan —
Sum Hock was cousin to CCH.
gen15: 茂豐 –> (1)魁良, (2)和良, (3)吉良
gen16: (1)魁良 –> 穩學, 程學 (CCH)
gen16: (3)吉良 –> 森學 (sum-hock)
gen17: 森學 –> 燕宜, 藻宜
gen18: 燕宜 –> 培瑧[伯宗] (pak-jung)
gen19: 培瑧[伯宗] –> 廸穰, 廸會
If “PJ” was your great-grandfather, talk with Melvin. Someone in that group has kept a relatively updated tree.
— Ben —
族叔 is inaccurately translated. An accurate translation makes CCH and CGH’s father SECOND-degree cousins: CGH’s GREAT-grandfather was brother to CCH’s grandfather.
堂叔 would make the two men FIRST-degree cousins.
叔 would make the two men brothers.
Hello Ronin,
Just curious. Are you related to CCH or CGH?
Ronin,
In your genealogy chart posted in comment #51, I see the CCH is listed as Gen. 16. I see in our Family Biography CCH is listed as Gen. 21. This is a recently updated version of the tree.
> CCH is listed as Gen. 16
I read my notes wrong.
The generation number depends on where you start.
For ‘Six Villages’ CCH is generation 21.
For ‘Long Mei’ village CCH is generation 17.
For Chan/Chen/Chin CCH is generation 107 (in the tree I have).
Regarding CGH (陈宜禧).
CCH (程学蔑)’s grandfather is CMF 茂豐
CMF 茂豐 had three (known) brothers: CMN 茂鰲, CMS 茂實, CMY 茂遠
If the relationship CGH-CCH is 族叔, one of the three brothers CMN 茂鰲, CMS 茂實, CMY 茂遠 should be CGH’s great-grandfather. I do not have lineage for CGH (陈宜禧) or the brothers.
Ronin,
How interesting and confusing.
a) I thought Long Mei is the ‘Six Villages’
b) I haven’t seen or heard of the tree with 107 generations.
All of our trees, which have been maintained by CCH son’s say CCH is generation 21.
I’m am curious about your 107 generation tree.
note: i didn’t look up the chinese… so it might be wrong, but the info is correct (it’s difficult to enter chinese in a non-Chinese computer).
Long Mei 朗美 is an area in Luk Tuen (Six Villages) 六村
Luk Tuen 六村 is currently part of the Dausan 斗山 area, but it has been part of several different areas in the past.
Dausan 斗山 is an area in Toisan 台山
Toisan 台山 is an area in Canton 廣東
(Think of it like street, neighborhood, city, county, state…)
Toisan 台山 used to be known as Sunning/Xinning 新寧 before early in the 20th century, thus the Sunning/Xinning railroad 新寧鐵路.
Toisan 台山 was originally one of the Szeyip (Four Counties) 四邑, but in the past few decades a fifth area has been added, creating the Five Counties 五邑
The Six Villages 六村 is a collection of small villages centered around a market town 沙坦市 (these might be the wrong characters). Families often referenced the market town to help distinguish similarly named nearby villages.
As for the 107 generations, Philip Tan (Tan is a Malaysian[?] spelling of Chin/Chan/Chen) has done a great deal of research in Chinese and English and collected many Chin registries. Very useful information, in English!, can be found at his website http://houseofchinn.com/ and at http://siyigenealogy.proboards.com/ where his userid is: philiptancl The siyigenealogy board was (still is?) a helpful place for genealogy research for families from Toisan.
——
These Geni profiles trace the Chan/Chen/Chinn/Tan/… surname. The trailing numbers refer to generation count from various important/famous ancestors. (I believe all of this was originally entered by Philip or someone using the information from the above websites)
To find others you will need to know the tree or the Pinyin spelling of the name.
Chen Hu Gong 陳胡公 — “the first Chen/Chin/Chinn/Chan/Tan/…”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_(state)
https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/陳胡公
https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%99%B3%E8%83%A1%E5%85%AC
http://www.geni.com/people/Chén-Hú-Gōng-陳胡公-42-34-1G-Guī-Mǎn-媯滿/6000000000104035781
http://www.geni.com/family-tree/index/6000000000104035781
Chen Feng Tai 陳鳳臺 is the “honorific” name for Chen Hui 陳輝, the “father” of the Chan/Chen/Chin/Chinn/Tan’s from Toisan and several areas of southeastern China. — I think 66 other families of servants and allies fled with them —
http://www.geni.com/people/Chén-Fèng-Tái-陳輝公-鳳臺-123-82-35-號-鳳臺/6000000003224933961
http://www.geni.com/family-tree/index/6000000003224933961
Chén Xuān 陳宣124, 116, 83, 36, 1G
— This branch first moved to XinHui/Sunwui 新會 county before eventually moving to XinNing/Sunning 新寧 county, modern day Toisan 台山.
http://www.geni.com/people/Chén-Xuān-陳宣124-116-83-36-1G/6000000003225692119
http://www.geni.com/family-tree/index/6000000003225692119
“Note on Generation Numbers (124, 116, 83, 1世)
Xuān is a 124th generation descendant of Huang Di (the Yellow Emperor) (2,697-2,597 BC), and following the patrilineal line of descent:
a 116th generation descendant of Gui Shun Di, 媯舜帝, 9,1G (2,305-2,205 BC)
a 83th generation descendant of Chén Hú Gōng 陳胡公, 42, 34,1G the first ruler of the Chen Kingdom
a 36th generation descendant of Chén Shí Gōng, 陳實(寔)公, 89,81,48,1G founder of the Ying Chuan Branch of the Chen Family (潁川)”
— some additional information about the fleeing can be found on the brother’s profile http://www.geni.com/people/Chén-Mó-陳謨-124-83-36-1/6000000003225199627
Chén Fènggé 陳鳳閣, 125, 84, 37, 2G — another famous ancestor
http://www.geni.com/people/Chén-Fènggé-陳鳳閣-125-84-37-2G/6000000003652288325
http://www.geni.com/family-tree/index/6000000003652288325
*** Chén Tiānxiáng 裔昌/從善/天祥 settled 東山, 台山 128,120,87,40,5,1G ***
*** this Chen settled in the Toisan 台山 area ***
http://www.geni.com/people/Chén-Tiānxiáng-裔昌-從善-天祥-settled-東山-台山-128-120-87-40-5-1G/6000000016684945001
http://www.geni.com/family-tree/index/6000000016684945001
*** Chén YuánKāng 遷榮/元康/獲寓 ***
*** this is the first Chen to settle/establish 朗美村 LongMei village ***
http://www.geni.com/people/Chén-Yuán-Kāng-遷榮-元康-獲寓-132-124-91-44-9-5G/6000000016684796200
http://www.geni.com/family-tree/index/6000000016684796200
This is the last Chen in CCH’s branch that is in the Geni tree. (For those of you playing along at home with your secret decoder rings, look in the far right column on page 28 of 70. No, I can’t provide you with a copy… but others might, if you ask nicely). Notice the 10G, representing the tenth generation in Luk Tyun – the Six Villages – 六村. He is also 96G for Chen 陳 surname.
Chén Lue 陳畧, 137, 129, 96, 49, 14, 10G (光)
http://www.geni.com/people/陳畧-137-129-96-49-14-10G-光/6000000023406253386
http://www.geni.com/family-tree/index/6000000023406253386
CCH 陳程學, 148, 140, 107, 60, 25, 21G
21G in Luk Tyun – the Six Villages – 六村.
107G for Chen 陳 surname.
17G in Long Mei 朗美 village.
!! UNVERIFIED — UNCORROBORATED !!
One Chinese page which has been copy-pasted all over the Chinese web provides a partial lineage for CGH 陈宜禧.
g20: 陳良代 –> (1)實學, 哲學, (3)蘭學, 資學
g21: 實學 –> ??, ??, (3) 陳宜禧 CGH
The Chinese page notes that CGH 陳宜禧 was the third biological son of (1) 實學, but (3) 蘭學 did not have sons and “adopted” CGH 陳宜禧 into his line. This was a very common practice.
The only Chinese page with this information provides no sources, no references, no links, no photographs, no scans, etc.
None of the documentation available to me references 陳良代. No (identifiable) close relationship seems to exist between CGH 陳宜禧 and CCH’s 陳程學 fathers, grandfathers or great-grandfathers. It seems to imply that the term 族叔 should be interpreted as “族 clan 叔 uncle”: you’re a Chin (from the same line/generation poem) and you’re one generation older than me, we don’t know how we’re actually related.
All of the above information is neither verified nor corroborated.
Last post was too long. Trying again in two parts.
Long Mei 朗美 is an area in Luk Tuen (Six Villages) 六村
Luk Tuen 六村 is currently part of the Dausan 斗山 area, but it has been part of several different areas in the past.
Dausan 斗山 is an area in Toisan 台山
Toisan 台山 is an area in Canton 廣東
(Think of it like street, neighborhood, city, county, state…)
Toisan 台山 used to be known as Sunning/Xinning 新寧 before early in the 20th century, thus the Sunning/Xinning railroad 新寧鐵路.
Toisan 台山 was originally one of the Szeyip (Four Counties) 四邑, but in the past few decades a fifth area has been added, creating the Five Counties 五邑
The Six Villages 六村 is a collection of small villages centered around a market town 沙坦市 (these might be the wrong characters). Families often referenced the market town to help distinguish similarly named nearby villages.
Some background information on Chan/Chen/Chin/Chinn/Chun/Tan/… can be found at http://houseofchinn.com/
Most of the 107 generations were posted (in a somewhat orderly fashion) by userid ‘philitancl’ at http://siyigenealogy.proboards.com/
The siyigenealogy board was (still is?) a helpful place for genealogy research for families from Toisan.
I’ll post the Geni links next.